Philpott May Opt To Hone Partisan Division

Virginia Politics

Since he became speaker of the House of Delegates in 1980, A. L. Philpott has pledged "to be as fair as I know how to be."

And while most observers might say Philpott has been more partisan than his predecessor, John Warren Cooke, Republicans probably have been treated as fairly as could be expected.

Now, however, some of his fellow Democrats are quietly urging the speaker toward stronger partisan stances during the 60-day session which convened Wednesday.

Republicans, who gained five seats in the 1989 elections, now number a modern all-time high of 39. There are two independents and Democrats remain in firm control with 59 members.

Even so, another couple of elections and the GOP could conceivably come within striking distance of taking control of the House, a prospect that sends shivers down the spines of influential Democratic members who would lose much of their power if relegated to minority status.

Some high-visibility Democrats, among them Del. Richard Cranwell of Vinton, charge that Republicans engaged in dirty campaign tactics during several key House races last year.

They are particularly disturbed that three veteran Democrats - John G. "Chip" Dicks of Chesterfield, Robert W. Ackerman of Spotsylvania and William T. Wilson of Covington - were upset by GOP challengers whose chances of victory seemed remote when they announced for office.

Cranwell deplored allegations made by some Republicans that their members had been unfairly treated by the Democratic majority in the House.

Said one Democratic insider who wants anonymity, "The speaker is being asked to get out the long knives. We think he's been very accommodating to Republicans in the House and yet they slung mud in his face."

Whether Philpott will respond to the predictable partisan rhetoric of heated political campaigns is pure conjecture. Although a staunch Democrat, he doesn't seem to revel in partisan politics as much as Cranwell and House Majority Leader Thomas W. Moss Jr. of Norfolk, two men who would like to be speaker some day.

But if he does wish to extract a pound of flesh from Republicans, it will be a simple matter since the speaker names the members of all standing committees in the House.

In a legislature that relies heavily on the committee system to conduct the public's business, assignment to the most important committees elevates the stature of a member, while consignment to relatively minor committees is often a ticket to oblivion.

Before Cooke became speaker in the 1960s, E. Blackburn Moore of Winchester, the speaker for many years, routinely assigned Republicans and liberal Democrats to committees that seldom or never met. He didn't believe in giving political or philosophical opponents a fighting chance.

Cooke assigned Republicans to major committees for the first time and Philpott has generally followed that practice.

And while most think it unlikely that he will make any wholesale removal of Republicans from important committees, he might try to shuffle the deck to place freshmen Republican in the most minor committee slots available.

That would help slake some of the thirst for vengeance felt by Democrats like Cranwell who are still seething about results of the legislative elections.

But the biggest hole card for Democrats fearful of further erosion of their General Assembly strength during the 1990s is redistricting, to take place in 1991.

Already party strategists are poring over maps and demographic data to make preliminary assessments of ger rymandering designed to halt Republican advances.

If Virginia could be considered a pie to be sliced however the Democrats chose into 100 equal pieces for the House of Delegates and 40 for the state Senate, then the gerrymandering task would be a fairly simple one. Anyone with a reasonable knowledge of state voting patterns could concoct a plan to give Democrats added numbers in both the House and Senate.

But the 59 Democratic incumbents in the House and 30 in the Senate will want districts that give them the maximum opportunity for re-election. That is a formidable task in a state where the Republican presidential nominee routinely wins big and the GOP gubernatorial aspirant lost by only a relative handful of votes this year.

The committee list to be released by Philpott as the legislative session begins will give some indication whether much tougher partisan times are coming immediately to the House or may be put off until the redistricting fray. The guess here is that the expansion of the two-party system in the House will lead to sharper partisan divisions, starting now.

* John Goolrick, a former political reporter, is an aide to 7th District Rep. D. French Slaughter, a Republican. Opinions expressed are his own.